Gate-opening mechanism



Dec. 18 1923.

H. \NARE GATE OPENING MECHANISM Filed Feb- 27. 1.922

Patented Dec 18, 1923.

HENRY E. WARE, or Moo'ncnor'r, WYOMING, Assrenoa or ONE-HALF r ARito R. MQGREW, or MOORCROFT, YOMING.

GATE-OPENING MECHANISM.

Application filed February To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, HENRY E. WARE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Moorcroft, in the county of Crook and State of lVyoming, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inGate-Opening Mechanisms, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

It is the purpose of the present invention to provide a mechanism for opening and closing road gates, and a further purpose is to provide such an apparatus, whereby the gate may be quickly and easily opened and closed from either side of the gate, without the operator descending from the vehicle or dismounting from a horse.

Still another purpose is the provision of a gate hingedly mounted for swinging opening movement in one direction including a latch for holding the gate in a closed position or in open position, there being spring tension means for automatically moving the gate to a closed position, in combination with cables or ropes with operating means-on eitherside of the gate and connected with the latch, so that by operating either one of the ropes or cables, the gate may be swung to an open position, or to a closed position, by actuating either one of the ropes on either side of the gate.

While the design and construction at present illustrated and set forth are deemed preferable, it is obvious that as a result of a reduction of the invention to a more practical form for commercial purposes, the invention may be susceptible of changes, and the right to these changes is claimed, provided they are comprehended within the scope of what is claimed.

The invention comprises further features and combination of parts, as will be hereinafter set forth, shown in the drawings and claimed.

In the drawings 1-- Figure 1 is a view in perspective of an improved gate opening and closing mechanism as applied to a hingedly mounted swinging road gate, the same being constructed in accordance with the invention;

Figure 2 is a similar view, showing the gate in an open position; and

Figure 3 is a detail vertical sectional view through the hinge mounting for the gate. Referring to the drawings, 1 designates 27, 1922. Serial in. 539,548.

the gate supporting post, upon which a gate 2 is hingedly mounted. The hinge connections for the gate comprise eye-bolts 3, which are made fast by means of the nuts 4; to the end gate beam 5. The eye-bolts engage the upwardly extending arms 6 of the rods 7 which are fastened by nuts 8 in the post 1. Obviously the gate is permitted to swing to an open position or to a closed position.

The gate comprises a longitudinally extending beam 9, which is connected to the beam 5, and in turn to the other beam 10, and connected to and extending from the beam 10 to and connected to the beam 5 are suitable gate wires 11, for reinforcing the beams 55, 9 and 10. Secured to the beam 9 and fastened to the various reinforcing wires 11 (which are above and below the beam 9) is an upright 12. Secured at 13 to the upright 12 and secured to the upper end of the beam 5 as at 14 is a brace 15. This brace 15 not only reinforces theupright 12 relatively to the beam 9 and the beam 5, but also extends beyond the beam-5 constituting an arm 16, by which the gate may be swung on its hinge mounting.

Fence wires 17 are connected to the gate keeper post 18, and connected to the gate supporting post 1 as at 19 are fence wires 20 extending in the opposite direction and in alignment with the wires 17. The wires 20 are in turn fastened at 21 to the fence post 22, to which, by means of an eye 23 an elongated tensioned coil spring 24: is connected. This spring 24: is in turn connected to an eye or staple 25, which is carried by the arm 16 of the gate. The spring 24: constitutes means for tensioning the gate, to return it to a closed position and hold the same in such position.

Also fastened to the staple 25 is a pulley 2g, and carried by the upright 12 is a pulley 2 Arranged adjacent one side of the road, and on both sides of the gate are upstanding posts 28 and 29, which have at their upper ends overhanging lateral arms 30 and 31, suspended from which are pulleys 32 and 33.

Pivoted upon the beam 9 as at 3 1 is a latch 35 which engages a guide strap 36 which is secured to the end gate post 10. This guide strap 36 acts to withstand any strain upon the latch '35. A coil spring is connected to the latch, and extends down wardly and is connected at 37 to the lower wire. This spring constitutes means to tension the latch, and hold it in engagement with the lower part of the guide strap. A keeper bar 38 is secured at 39 to the post 18, and extends angularly downwardly and toward the ground and has its. lower extremity extended into the ground as at 40, so as to reinforce the keeper bar. A metal strip 41 is secured to the keeper bar and is disposed in an inclined position as shown and has its end portion 42 extended downwardly and secured to the keeper bar, thereby constituting a shoulder. The entire strap 41 constitutes a keeper for the latch, and when the gate swings to a closed position, the latch 35 cams upwardly upon the inclined portion of the keeper, and then drops behind and in engagement with the shoulder 42, thereby holding the gate in a closed position. The free end of the latch has an upstanding arm 43, to which a wire 44 is connected. This wire terminates in a loop 45,

to which a cable or rope 46 is connected.

The cable or rope 46 passes over the pulley 26, then over the pulley 32 and has its e tremity provided with a weight 47, which acts to hold the cable or rope taut. A second cable or rope 48 is attached to the loop 45 of the wire 44 and passes over the pulley 27, then over the pulley 33 and likewise has its extremity provided with aweight 49, to hold the second cable or rope taut.

Also so arranged adjacent the side of the road and rising therefrom is a post 50 having a keeper 51, which is carried by the keeper bar 52, which is secured to the post.

50 and has its lower end extended into the ground as at 53. The keeper 51 is similar to the keeper 41, and has a shoulder 54, which is engaged by the latch 35 when the gate is swung to an open position, thereby holding the gate open. 7

Infact when the gate is open to its full movement, the latch 35 rides upon the inclined portion of the keeper, until it engages the shoulder 54, hence preventing the gate from closing under the action of the spring 24.

The gate is additionally reinforced by the diagonal wires 55, which are connected at 56 to thebeams 5 and 10, thereby furtherreinforcing the gate.

When desiring to open the gate from either side of the fence, the operator, without dismounting from the horse or descending from the vehicle, may pull upon the rope or cable 46, which in turn will pull upon the cable or rope 44, hence tilting the latch andkliscngaging it from its keeper 60 shoulder against the action ofthe spring, and in view of the latch engaging the upper part of its guide strap,it will be limited in its movement, then the operator may pull sufiiciently upon the rope or cable 46, and since the arm 16 projects beyond the beam 5, the gate may be swung to an openposition, then its latch 35 will ride upon the inclined portion of the keeper 51 until it engages itsshculder and holds the gate in an open position. The same result can be obtained, by pulling upon the'cable 48, on the opposite side of the gate.

After the gate has been swung to an open L position and it is desired to close the same on the opposite side of the gate, namely' after the operator has passed through the gate opening, the operatormay pull upon either one of the cables 46 or 48, until the latch 35 is disengaged from its keeper 54, and when this action occurs, the tensioned coil spring 24 will cooperate with the arm 16, and swing the gate to closed position.

The invention having been set forth what is claimed is:- V V o In a gate operating mechanism, a gate supporting post, a swinging gate mounted thereon and provided with a tensioned latch, a keeper post including akeeper engaged by said latch, a horizontal bar carried by the upper portion of the hinged end of the gate and extending across the hinge in alignment with the gate, a spring connected to the fence and in turn to one end v a 9.5

of said bar to hold the gate closed, a vertical bar carried by the gate and secured to the opposite end of the first bar, a pulley carried by the end of the first bar to which the spring is connected,a pulley carried by. 100

the upper end of the vertical bar, pulling means passing over the first pulley and extending in alignment with the gate and operatively connected toothe gate latch to open the ate from one side o-f the fence, a second pull means passing over the second pulley at the top of the vertical bar and extending in a directionwith the gate and connected to the first pull means at a point between the vertical bar and the latch, whereby the gate may be opened from the opposite side of the fence, and an additional keeper post including a keeper at one side of the road on one side of the fence to be engaged by said latch to hold the-gate open.- i In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature.

HENRY E. WARE. 

